The Moroccan tomato campaign is drawing to a close, except for the late varieties exported in the summer. Mustapha Aouragh, a tomato grower based in Agadir, gives a mixed assessment.
"The season will end in July, a month later than usual. This is due to the late start to the season, and the varieties grown and exported for the rest of the season are mainly elongated tomatoes and cherry tomatoes," says Aouragh.
The grower adds, "Throughout the season, we have been heavily influenced by extreme weather events. The heatwave in the summer of 2023 had a major impact in terms of lost plants and disrupted production schedules. But it didn't stop there. Throughout the campaign, we suffered storms that caused damage to infrastructure, as well as high temperatures."
At the marketing level too, the campaign was marked by a general fall in prices, while growers were desperate for an increase on the previous season's prices, due to the increasingly high cost of production, according to Aouragh.
However, the 2023-2024 season brings good news, according to the grower. Confirming previous observations reported by growers in the region, Aouragh says, "It seems that the phytosanitary situation is improving. ToBRFV is weakening, and we're seeing far fewer uprootings than in previous years. Last year, we had to uproot from the first bunch, whereas we're reaching the 10th bunch this season."
"This in itself is very good news, as the disease was causing major damage. I hope that this improvement will be accompanied by more clement weather conditions next season, and expect an early start to the next campaign," concludes Aouragh.
For more information:
Aouragh Mustapha
Tel: +212661938200
Email: [email protected]